Night of the Condor (16 page)

Immediately below her, at a short distance from the stream which meandered through the valley bottom she saw the Peruvian Quest encampment of tents and prefabricated buildings, and tiny figures moving between them. One of whom would be Evan, she thought, biting her lip.

There was no possible retreat. She didn't need Rourke's laconic, They've seen us,' to tell her their arrival had been noted below. Bracing herself, she began the steep descent towards the camp.

Fergus Willard was the first to greet them, a tall bony man with a pleasant, worried face. He grasped Rourke's hand, and they exchanged a few words in an undertone, before he turned to Leigh.

'Well, Miss Frazier.' His voice was rather too hearty. 'So you actually made it. That's amazing!'

She smiled charmingly, very much her father's daughter in spite of clothes which fitted where they touched. 'I had an excellent guide.'

'Er—yes, of course.' Doctor Willard's face told her plainly that he found this the most amazing thing of all. 'No one knows this terrain like Rourke, after all.' He put up his hand and pulled at his greying beard. 'Rourke will have told you, naturally, that Gilchrist has returned.' He smiled nervously. 'It must be a great relief for you. You must be anxious to see him again.'

Leigh was searingly aware that Rourke was watching her, could feel his eyes on her as surely as if he had reached out and touched her with his hand. She lifted her chin. 'Yes—most anxious.'

'Well, I'll just show you where you'll be spending the night first,' Dr Willard said. I've arranged for you to share a tent with our other ladies—we've just moved another bed in.' He frowned slightly. 'It's rather cramped, but as it's only for a very short time, we thought you might be prepared to make the best of it.'

Leigh smiled again. 'I'm sure it will be fine.' She paused. 'But I have no plans to dash away immediately, Doctor Willard. I'm sure my father and his board would appreciate a first-hand report on everything that's happening here.'

The consternation was almost tangible.

At last Doctor Willard said heavily. 'I see. Well, we'll do our best to accommodate you, Miss Frazier, but our resources are limited.'

'Don't worry about a thing,' she told him airily. 'I've grown quite accustomed to that over the past few days.'

Fergus Willard shrugged resignedly, and turned to lead the way into the camp.

Leigh made to follow him, but Rourke's hand closed on her arm detaining her.

'What new game is this?' His mouth was compressed, a tiny betraying muscle flickering in his jaw.

She stared back at him with a calmness she was far from feeling. 'No game at all. Now that I've got here, I intend to stay for a while, that's all.'

He released her curtly. 'You may find your fiancé has other ideas,' he said, and strode off in the opposite direction.

The camp seemed to be a hive of activity, Leigh thought as she followed Fergus Willard. Their route took them through the kitchen area where large pots of stew and vegetables were being stirred over open fires. Naturally, her arrival was receiving a great deal of attention, but the smiles which greeted her, she noted, were on the guarded side of friendly.

When they reached the tent, it was deserted. Looking round her, Leigh saw that Fergus Willard had not exaggerated about the shortage of space.

We shall have to take it in turns to breathe, she thought wryly.

'Well, this is it, Miss—er—Frazier.' Doctor Willard made a vaguely all-encompassing gesture. 'The bed in the corner is yours, and there's a tin chest for your gear. It prevents insects getting into your clothes, or that's the theory anyway.'

'As I only have what I stand up in, that shouldn't be too much of a problem.' Leigh put her shoulder-bag down on the cot he had indicated.

He looked shocked. 'I had no idea—you must feel free to draw whatever you need from the camp store.' He paused. 'Again, I'm afraid it's…'

'Rather limited,' Leigh supplied wearily when he hesitated. 'Believe me, Doctor Willard, I'd be glad of anything.'

'I'll get June to have a word with you. As well as being our nurse, she looks after that side of things.' He turned to go, clearly relieved at having disposed of one problem at least. 'And now I'll find Gilchrist for you.' He paused again, and this time there was nothing vague in the look he sent her. 'If I might give you some advice, Miss Frazier, I would get back to Britain just as quickly as you can. It's no longer safe here. Not safe at all' He gave her a bleak nod, and vanished.

'Darling!' Evan's voice was exultant. 'Oh God, I can hardly believe it!'

Leigh forced a smile. 'Nor can I.' She stepped back, out of the circle of his arms. 'How—how are you, Evan?'

'Better, now that you're here.' He stared at her, his smile fading slightly. 'You look tired, angel, and thinner. Was it a hellish journey? Willard said something about you having no luggage.'

'It was stolen,' she told him. 'And I think anyone would lose weight with the amount of walking I've done this week.'

He looked at her with sudden sharpness. 'Was everything stolen—your money, your passport?'

'No, I still have those.' She touched her bag.

'Thank heaven for that!'

'Amen,' she said rather ironically. 'But why?'

'Because it means there's nothing to stop us leaving this God-forsaken country.' Evan put an arm around her, hugging her. 'You don't know what that means to me!'

Leigh looked down at her bare hands, remembering the golden gleam of Rourke's ring. She said slowly, 'I'm not leaving at once, Evan. I'm staying here for a while.'

'Here?' The incredulity in his face was almost comic. He stared round him. 'You have to be joking, love! You don't know what conditions are like here. You'll be eaten alive by fleas for starters, and every drop of water has to be filtered and treated. And have you seen the latrines yet? They're a nightmare!'

She said drily, 'So you told me in your letters. But it makes no difference. I want to see for myself what's being done here.'

Evan's arm fell away. He said sharply, 'I'll tell you what's being done—a lot of time, money and effort is being wasted on a pack of disease-ridden, fly-blown Indians who are too lazy and apathetic to shift for themselves. I imagine twenty-four hours will tell you all you need to know, and you'll be as glad to get away as I am.'

She still didn't look at him, or let him see how much the venom in his words had shaken her.

'Then why did you come back?'

'To see you, darling.' Hi voice was cajoling again. 'I thought you'd come to tell me my life sentence had been commuted. I thought we'd be leaving together right away.'

Leigh brushed a hand along the coarse denim of her jeans. 'But you didn't know I was coming,' she said in a matter-of-fact tone. 'Rourke told me that the radio message was received after you—went off.'

There was a silence. 'Oh, even in this wilderness there's a well established grapevine,' he said at last. 'Any kind of news spreads like wildfire. And I wasn't that far away.'

'Where were you, Evan?' She looked at him directly, noticing how his eyes shifted evasively from hers.

'Treasure-hunting, like I promised.' He looked uneasy and triumphant at the same time, she thought, troubled.

'And you—found some treasure.'

'Oh, yes!' His tone was gloating. 'There's plenty here for everyone, if you know where to look.'

It was very hot in the tent, but in spite of that she shivered. 'Evan—whatever it is you've found, for God's sake put it back before it's too late.'

'Put it back?' He looked at her blankly. 'Are you crazy?'

'I'm trying to be sane for both of us.' Leigh struggled to keep her voice level. 'I don't know what the laws are about archaeological finds, but I imagine they're pretty severe, and the authorities know what you've been doing—why you disappeared like that without a word to anyone.'

'What do you mean?' he demanded harshly.

'Because Rourke said what you'd been doing was criminal, and in Cuzco, the police came to see me. They—frightened me.'

He uttered a violent obscenity, and sat very still, staring ahead of him, lost in some private inner world.

In spite of her uneasiness, Leigh felt sorry for him, and guilty too. After all, it was for her that he had stolen these things—gems, gold, artefacts—whatever they were. She was the princess, to whom he would bring the golden apples. And in the fairy stories, the princess was always waiting, ready to be won, never in any circumstances uncaring or unfaithful, committed body and soul to another man.

She put a hand on his arm. 'Evan, I'm sure if you went to the authorities and explained—told them everything, they'd let you off.'

'With a caution?' He laughed hoarsely. 'God, Leigh you don't know what you're talking about! In this country, they lock you up and throw away the key.' He shook his head. 'No, I'm getting away from here, with or without your help. For the first time in my life I've got the chance to have some money— some real money of my own—more than I've ever dreamed of.'

Leigh got to her feet. All her plans had once been centred on this man, and now he was as much a stranger to her as if they had only met that day.

She said quietly, 'Don't rely on dreams, Evan. They can—distort things. Now, perhaps you'll leave me. I'm rather tired.'

She lay on the cot, with her eyes closed, but she couldn't sleep. The communal evening meal, with all the workers from the camp gathered round one long table swapping stories and experiences from the day, had been the longest she had ever spent. She had sat beside Evan, awkwardly aware that they were distanced from everyone else at the table. Evan had laughed and talked loudly, as if he sensed their isolation, and was trying to deny it, but if that was in fact his intention it was a dismal failure. It merely stressed how very little they were being included in the general conversation. And what had made the situation next door to unbearable had been that Rourke was seated opposite them. Leigh had watched him covertly and almost obsessively under her lashes, her whole being crying out for a look, a smile, some indication at least that she hadn't imagined the passionate lover who had made her part of himself the previous night.

But he didn't so much as glance in her direction. All his attention seemed to be centred on Consuelo Esteban and her black-haired, sullen prettiness.

Leigh had met Consuelo, together with June Muirhead, a much older woman with a strong pleasant face, in the tent when they had come to wash and put on clean shirts before supper. June's attitude had been the warmest Leigh had encountered at Atayahuanco, but perhaps she was just trying to make up for Consuelo's graceless flouncings and mutterings in Spanish. It was quite clear that she bitterly resented having to make room for another girl in the tent, and her treatment of Leigh bordered on the insolent.

'Tantrum time again,' June had observed resignedly when at last Consuelo had taken herself off with another inimical flash of the eyes in Leigh's direction. 'I don't know which would do her the most good—a course of tranquillisers, or an almighty sock on the jaw. I know which I'd prefer to administer,' she added, grinning, and Leigh wasn't disposed to argue with her.

She was grateful to June too for the change of underwear, the towel, and the toilet things which she had presented to her.

'We'll find you some proper boots tomorrow,' June had decreed, casting a critical glance at Leigh's soft leather footwear. 'Those things may be all right when you're on the back of a mule, but they'd be no protection against some of the insects and other wildlife we find round here.'

'I see,' Leigh had said in a hollow voice, and June had laughed again.

'Rourke says we have to look after you,' she said casually, and Leigh's heart leapt.

'Did he?' she managed.

'Sure. Your father's an important benefactor, after all. We can't let any harm come to his only daughter.' June's smile robbed the words of any offence, but Leigh's spirits plummeted again. So that was all he had meant, she thought despondently.

Watching him with Consuelo, it occured to her, painfully, that his decision to place her at arms' length might not have concerned Evan at all. The Spanish girl had suddenly become vivacious, fluttering her admittedly long lashes, wasting no opportunity to brush against him, or touch his sleeve with her small thin hand. He wasn't moving out of range, she thought. Perhaps at Atayahuanco, Consuelo was his woman. After all, she couldn't imagine him living like a monk for months on end. And maybe it was worth more to him to maintain a stable, long-term relationship which would still be there when she, Leigh, had gone back to England, than indulge himself with any number of diversions such as she had represented.

She had thought she knew what it was to be jealous when she had heard about Isabella, but she was wrong. She felt her nails curling into claws. She wanted to lean across the table and wipe that complacent smile from the other girl's face. Her reaction was so savage, so violent that she shocked herself.

And perhaps Consuelo was jealous too, she thought. Maybe that explained the flouncing and hostility.

'Come for a moonlit stroll,' Evan had suggested, his lips against her ear as the meal ended.

Leigh stiffened. 'I'd rather not—I'm still very tired. And I haven't got the right sort of shoes,' she added placatingly, as she saw a sulky expression cross his face.

'Just as you want,' he said, after a pause. 'But we've got to talk, Leigh, and talk seriously.'

She said quietly, 'Yes, I think we should, Evan, but please don't think you're going to persuade me to leave here before I'm ready.' And she walked off before he could voice the protest she could see forming.

Now, as she lay still, trying not to disturb the even breathing of her companions, she found worry about Evan and his problems vying with her wretchedness over Rourke.

In some ways she felt guiltily responsible for what Evan had done, and she would have to live with that. She should have recognised the basic weakness in him when they first met, she thought, recognised it, and eased herself out of the relationship before there was any talk of marriage, before Evan had been thrust into a situation that was beyond him.